quandary
Exam frequency
GRE
high
Banks
high
Civil Services
high
Meaning(s)
a difficult situation or problem
How to Memorize
quandary - dilemma
Analysis
If you are in a ‘quandary’, then you are in a tough, hard to resolve a situation where you struggle to come to a decision about what to do. Often times this is because all the options available to you are unpleasant or have a strong possibility of a negative outcome, yet you have no choice but to pick one.
| Exams | Spoken | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synonyms | plight | ||
| Antonyms | certitude,assured,unambiguous |
Example(s)
Whatever decision I make over who gets the job, somebody is going to be bitterly disappointed. It’s a real quandary.
The government seem to be in a quandary about how to handle the crisis. It’s a no-win situation for them, really.
The quandary is how to restore order on the streets without harming peaceful protestors.